Is There A Link Between Creativity And Mental Disorders?

Once upon a time, I had a friend who wrote poems. He was the kind of guy you'd describe as "tortured"--constantly in a state of anguish (if you've ever seen "Reality Bites," he was the Ethan Hawke character--almost exactly. I think they even had the same shirt). And I haven't thought about this guy in a really long time--until today, when I saw a rather startling statistic about creativity and mental disorders...

This article by BBC News explores the relationship between creativity and mental illness, and cites interesting research by psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, which found that "poets are 20 times more likely to end up in an asylum than the general population," according to the article.

Of course, Jamison's research focused on British and Irish poets from 1600-1800, so it's not entirely fair to draw the conclusion above. But the idea touches on an interesting point, which other researchers have explored: one study found that the brain activity of "healthy, highly creative people" is in some ways similar to schizophrenic patients, while another study discovered that graduate students in creative disciplines shared more personality traits with bipolar patients than with non-bipolar, but less creative, students.

According to poet Luke Wright: "A lot of creativity comes from a conflict somewhere in your mind. ... I don't think you have to be 'mad' to be a poet but if your mind is alive, then it can produce both positive and negative responses. It can mean wonderful things but it can mean that fitting into 'normal' life is difficult."

What are your thoughts? Are you creative, or do you have many friends who are? Do any of them seem like "tortured artists"?